Chapter 2: Registry Backup and Recovery

Overview

Documents twenty thousand years old?

Things decay, perish, are destroyed through inefficiency or war.

-But there should be records of the records, copies, copies of the copies and copies of the copies of the copies.

--I. Asimov
"Foundation and Earth"

Windows Server 2003, Microsoft's newest family of operating systems for servers, provides a vast number of improvements over the previous generation, Windows 2000 Server. Windows Server 2003 is an impressive upgrade integrating two and a half years of improvements on Windows 2000, both evolutionary and revolutionary. The long list of improvements includes dramatic kernel enhancements, along with enhancements to practically every subsystem, including Windows Media Services, Internet Information Services (IIS) and Terminal Services. Besides this, the new Group Policy Management Console and numerous security improvements (which will be covered in detail in Chapter 9) are also worth mention. Like its predecessors, Windows Server 2003 presents some important choices for IT, net-work and security administrators, corporate decision makers, and technical support personnel personally responsible for deploying and supporting Microsoft server solutions.

In fact, Windows Server 2003 is so vast in terms of functionality that it's quite easy to get lost in all of the new features-just remember the well-known Murphy's Law, which states: "To err is human, but to really foul things up requires a computer". Like in any joke, there is an element of truth here, especially when it comes to such serious things as business continuity (don't forget that we are dealing with a server platform) and disaster-recovery planning. Furthermore, this law usually strikes when we least expect it. The complexity of modern computer systems and their use in business-critical processes inevitably raises the following question: Can we trust computers? Most hardware manufacturers and vendors will try to convince you that their products are robust and reliable, and they also are right. We can certainly trust computers insofar as they are designed to avoid or prevent system failures and data loss. In relation to operating systems, even the earlier versions of Windows NT included several built-in features providing fault tolerance, and its successors, including Windows 2000, Windows XP, and products of the Windows Server 2003 family, increase and enhance them even further. Still, despite the efforts of hardware manufacturers and software developers, disasters happen from time to time. Why? The answer to this question is clear-it doesn't make a difference how reliable products are initially. The factors that really count are how you configure and maintain a computer and what precautions you have taken just in case anything goes wrong.

The "Foundation" saga by Isaac Asimov, a famous "historical novel of the future" and the story of the rise and fall of the Galactic Empire, mentions data that actually survived more than twenty thousand years. In all likelihood your data doesn't need to survive that long, but it has, at least, to survive emergency situations. In the real world, having a solid disaster-recovery plan can make the difference between a company that survives and one that doesn't. According to statistics, of the companies that suffer major and permanent data loss:

• 90% are out of business within a year

• 50% never reopen their doors at all after the disaster

The causes of data loss might be different. According to a report by Ontrack Data International, a research firm based in Minneapolis, they break down as follows:

• System malfunction or hardware error (44%)

• Human error (32%)

• Software malfunction (14%)

• Virus attacks (7%)

• Natural disasters (3%)

However, when disaster strikes, it doesn't matter what is the cause. Both data loss caused by a natural disaster and that caused by virus attack or by hardware failure produces the same havoc in the organization. Thus, fault tolerance and disaster recovery are matters of primary importance, especially when vital information for a company-such as databases, accounting software and other essential records-are placed on the network.

Today, most companies already understand that simply hoping for the best and expecting that disaster won't strike is the quickest way to ruin the whole business. Therefore, practically every company maintains backups for its data and systems (the best backup strategies and practices, including registry backup and recovery, are the main topic of this chapter). This approach is necessary, since daily backup is an important element of disaster recovery, but it still isn't sufficient. Today's business environment is becoming increasingly vulnerable to computer-system disruptions. Consider, for example, an e-business, where a mere minute of downtime usually results in significant financial losses! This is where Disaster Recovery Planning becomes indispensable. Only a thorough Disaster Recovery Plan can help you avoid losing data or, at least, minimize the loss and survive the disaster.

The process of evaluating the risks of major data and operational loss, and planning ahead to prepare for failures by minimizing those risks, is known formally as Disaster Recovery Planning (DRP). A properly developed disaster-recovery plan can save thousands of dollars by protecting information and computer operations and preventing downtime and losses in productivity.

In other words, practices such as ensuring fault tolerance, performing regular backups of systems and data, and implementing properly developed and tested disaster-recovery plans are much like insurance. Still, there are some people, businesses-even large companies - that mistakenly believe that they can do without them. This is the worst mistake that they can make!

Note 

Failing to implement a disaster-recovery plan is a form of corporate negligence. The development and implementation of such a plan is a strategic, moral, and even legal obligation to one's company. Of course, legal issues related to disaster-recovery planning represent the most confusing part of the whole process of creating an effective plan and they are often underestimated and misunderstood. Although there are no specific laws stating categorically that your company must have a disaster-recovery plan, there exist several legal precedents that can be used to hold companies responsible to those who have been negatively affected by a company's inability to recover from a disaster. Note also that not only corporations, but individuals as well can be held liable for professional negligence if they are found to have failed to take reasonable measures given special knowledge, skills, and abilities. Of course, disaster-recovery planners can't be expected to be lawyers, but they need at least to understand the potential legal consequences of a failure by their company to implement an effective disaster-recovery plan and to be aware of the areas where disaster-recovery planning and the law intersect. For this reason, it is highly recommended-particularly for large companies-to include a legal expert lawyer in any team of contingency-plan developers. Liability insurance also should not be overlooked. If the worst should happen, liability insurance wouldn't prevent your or your company from ending up in court but at the least, it will cover damages and help to pay the costs of litigation. Thus, the basic idea is simple: by paying proper attention to disaster-recovery planning, you are not only protecting the interests of your company, but its long-term future as well.